Gilbert Goon pleads guilty to assaulting two boys while using brass knuckles

An Arizona teenager linked to the 'Gilbert Goons' mob has pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated assault. 

Gage Garrison, 19, was arrested in January after he was suspected of taking part in an attack in a parking garage the month before, as well as the assault of a teenager at a girl's birthday party in December 2022. 

In that second attack, he was accused of using brass knuckles to pummel another teen who had 'stood up for a friend at school', and was arrested alongside Cody Kostoryz, 18. 

Prosecutors said Garrison is linked to the so-called 'Gilbert Goons', a gang of teenagers who have been menacing the town of Gilbert, Arizona for years. 

The 'Goons' are most infamously known for their alleged involvement in the brutal beating death of 16-year-old Preston Lord at a Halloween party last fall. 

In that attack, Lord was reportedly set upon by 15 people wearing ski masks, leading to the arrest of Talan Renner, 17, on first-degree murder charges. 

Renner's brother, Kyler, is among two other teens implicated in the parking garage attack that Garrison pleaded guilty to this week. 

In the birthday party attack that he also pleaded guilty to, court records reported by 12News found he and Kostyryz ambushed another juvenile because of a bullying row at their school. 

The victim, who is not named, reportedly told police that he was targeted because he had 'stood up for a friend at school', and the alleged 'Goons' found him at a girl's birthday party at her home. 

A group reportedly forced their way into the home, which they were not invited to, and launched at the victim. 

Images from the chaotic scenes at the party showed the mob holding back the victim while taking turns punching and kicking him, including with a pair of brass knuckles. 

Following his guilty plea, Garrison is set to be sentenced on September 26. 

Prosecutors allege that Garrison is a member of the 'Goons', which have been tied to a string of violent assaults on teenagers across the area. 

In the attack on Lord, the teenager tragically passed away the day after he attended a Halloween party in October last year, where he was found laid out on a road. 

Harrowing 911 audio from the attack was released in March, in which a sobbing witness told the dispatcher that his friend lying on the ground unconscious, adding that there were at least 15 attackers wearing ski masks, according to a police report obtained by The Arizona Republic.

'I’m scared. I don’t know what to do,' the terrified boy said. 'Are people on the way? I need them to get here. I do not want my friend to die.'

In another call, a teen said trained lifeguards were administering CPR to Preston, who he said had vomited and had a faint pulse. The caller added Preston had not been breathing for up to two minutes.

After Renner was arrested for the incident, it was revealed that he had boasted to others that he had gotten away with the assault, and even joked about it being a 'closed casket funeral', according to his dad's ex-girlfriend. 

Police records allege one unnamed boy danced on the dying teen's body shortly after the beating, while others performed 'humping' - simulated rape acts - to further degrade their victim.